thefoodhunter

Sorry, but I'll be in NYC next week to. Hey Bux where are you in Paris? I am near the Canal St. Martin.

France is an incredibly anti-semitic country. I live with a wonderful Jewish woman who was at our dinner at Guy Savoy sporting her star. I admit that I did chicken out and not support Cabrales indirect line of questioning but the chef was so nice to us and I know what that question means to the French. If you are Jewish it hearkens back to a terrifying past. If you are not Jewish it is always taken as an accusation. You could only understand it if you live here. France is not a melting pot. Proudly displaying your Jewish heritage is often seen as an invitation to abuse. That is not how it should be but that is how it is. France's various religious groups (overwhelming non practicing Catholics, 5 million Muslims although few practice and a smattering of Jews, Protestants and others) get along by not focusing on religion. It is a taboo subject, like talking about income or politics. It is also one of the most voltatile subjects when it does get mentioned, witness the mass demonstrations whenever the government hints at cutting state subsidies for Catholic schools. Comparing attitudes about religion in one country to another is like comparing apples to ranges, they are different and Vive la difference!

I can't be sure as this is not a chef whose cuisine I particularly like, but 6 would be my guess for Ducasse. (3 for Plaza Athenee; 2 for Louis XV; 1 new star for Bastide. I assume zero for La Celle and, thank goodness, for Spoon). But Ducasse's 6 is not as good as Veyrat's 2*3 (which is really 3, as Auberge is closed when Ferme is open, and vice versa). Note Ramsay has 5 (3 for RHR, 1 for Petrus if you count affiliates and co-owned restaurants, 1 new star for Amaryllis in Glasgow last month). However, I wouldn't put much emphasis on how many "additional" stars a given three-star chef has. That's a function, in large part, of whether the chef has chosen to be low-key and non-commercialized (like Pacaud), not engaging in extracurricular activities, or more profit-oriented and publicity-driven (like Loiseau or Ducasse). Cabrales, I think Ducasse is also behind Il Cortile (the Chanel cafeteria) with 1 Michelin star. But who can keep track these days. I'm thrilled for Guy Savoy, I always thought he was a victim of the Michelin "We don't like people who make money with their name" philosophy because he opened his bistrots. same for Rostang who has been in 2 star limbo for years. Now that Michelin has a British director it may reward chefs for their talent rather than chastise them for their business acumen. The French hate to admit they like to make money.

Check out the Great Chefs section on the Discovery Channel fan site. Look under chef profiles and discover the mother lode of chefs featured on the show. There are some in santiago. I was not yet working for the show when they shot the segment but Coco is supposedly a great guy and a great chef. http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/greatchefs/profiles.html